William L. Benoit is professor of communication studies at Ohio University.

Benoit is a communication scholar of the highest order, a researcher who reveals the importance of studying message. A Functional Analysis of Political Television Advertisements is exhaustive in its analysis of a wide range of spots created for candidates varying in level of government, stage of campaign, and nation. There are few works that parallel Benoit’s effort in producing a generalizable set of findings that reflect genuine insights, and it is sure to have a sustained impact on the field.

• PrefacePart I: Preliminaries1. Introduction: Political Television Spots2. Method: The Functional Approach to Political AdvertisingPart II: Presidential Campaigns3. In the Beginning: 1952, 1956; The Democrats Ascend: 1960, 19644. Nixon’s Return: 1968, 1972; After Watergate: 1976, 19805. Republicans in Control: 1984, 1988; The End of the Millennium: 1992, 19966. George W. Bush in the Oval Office: 2000, 2004; Barack Obama, African American President, 2008, 20127. Primary Campaigns: Who Shall Lead Us?8. Third-Party Candidate Political TV Spots: Another ChoicePart III: Other Campaigns9. Other Theories: Issue Ownership and Functional Federalism in Political TV Spots10. Non-Presidential and Non-U.S. TV SpotsPart IV: Comparisons11. Trends and Contrasts of Political Television Spots12. Development of American Political Television Spots13. Conclusions and ImplicationsAppendix. Functional Theory CodebookReferences

William L. Benoit is professor of communication studies at Ohio University.

Benoit is a communication scholar of the highest order, a researcher who reveals the importance of studying message. A Functional Analysis of Political Television Advertisements is exhaustive in its analysis of a wide range of spots created for candidates varying in level of government, stage of campaign, and nation. There are few works that parallel Benoit’s effort in producing a generalizable set of findings that reflect genuine insights, and it is sure to have a sustained impact on the field.

• PrefacePart I: Preliminaries1. Introduction: Political Television Spots2. Method: The Functional Approach to Political AdvertisingPart II: Presidential Campaigns3. In the Beginning: 1952, 1956; The Democrats Ascend: 1960, 19644. Nixon’s Return: 1968, 1972; After Watergate: 1976, 19805. Republicans in Control: 1984, 1988; The End of the Millennium: 1992, 19966. George W. Bush in the Oval Office: 2000, 2004; Barack Obama, African American President, 2008, 20127. Primary Campaigns: Who Shall Lead Us?8. Third-Party Candidate Political TV Spots: Another ChoicePart III: Other Campaigns9. Other Theories: Issue Ownership and Functional Federalism in Political TV Spots10. Non-Presidential and Non-U.S. TV SpotsPart IV: Comparisons11. Trends and Contrasts of Political Television Spots12. Development of American Political Television Spots13. Conclusions and ImplicationsAppendix. Functional Theory CodebookReferences

William L. Benoit is professor of communication studies at Ohio University.

Benoit is a communication scholar of the highest order, a researcher who reveals the importance of studying message. A Functional Analysis of Political Television Advertisements is exhaustive in its analysis of a wide range of spots created for candidates varying in level of government, stage of campaign, and nation. There are few works that parallel Benoit’s effort in producing a generalizable set of findings that reflect genuine insights, and it is sure to have a sustained impact on the field.

• PrefacePart I: Preliminaries1. Introduction: Political Television Spots2. Method: The Functional Approach to Political AdvertisingPart II: Presidential Campaigns3. In the Beginning: 1952, 1956; The Democrats Ascend: 1960, 19644. Nixon’s Return: 1968, 1972; After Watergate: 1976, 19805. Republicans in Control: 1984, 1988; The End of the Millennium: 1992, 19966. George W. Bush in the Oval Office: 2000, 2004; Barack Obama, African American President, 2008, 20127. Primary Campaigns: Who Shall Lead Us?8. Third-Party Candidate Political TV Spots: Another ChoicePart III: Other Campaigns9. Other Theories: Issue Ownership and Functional Federalism in Political TV Spots10. Non-Presidential and Non-U.S. TV SpotsPart IV: Comparisons11. Trends and Contrasts of Political Television Spots12. Development of American Political Television Spots13. Conclusions and ImplicationsAppendix. Functional Theory CodebookReferences